William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh (died 9 August 1613) was an English nobleman, politician, peer, and knight. He was
Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1594 to 1597.
He was the fourth and younger son of
Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford and his first wife Margaret (). His birthdate is uncertain, with some records showing that he was born as early as 1553, some as late as 1563.
He was educated at
Magdalen College, Oxford, but apparently did not graduate. He spent several years in travelling through France, Germany, Italy, and Hungary. Returning to England about 1579, he was sent to Ireland in October 1580 in command of a company of recruits raised by the English clergy for the
wars in Ireland. He was stationed on the Wicklow frontier to hold
Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne in check, and on 4 April 1581 he and
William Stanley succeeded in burning Fiagh's house of Ballinacor and killing some of his followers. He was rewarded with a lease of the abbey of
Baltinglass Abbey in Co. Carlow on 4 September, and, being licensed to return to England, he was knighted by the lord-deputy,
Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton, on 10 September. On the occasion of the
Duc d'Alençon's visit to England in November, he took part in a royal combat and fight on foot, wherein the duke and the prince dauphin were the challengers and Russell and Lord Thomas Howard the defenders.
Russell began his active military career in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in 1585, being made lieutenant-general of cavalry. In September 1586 he distinguished himself at the
Battle of Zutphen and was noted for maintaining an effective fighting force in difficult circumstances. He was appointed Governor of
Flushing in 1587, but was recalled on his own initiative the following year. On 16 May 1594 he was appointed to the office of
Lord Deputy of Ireland, where he served with flamboyance.
At the time, Ireland was on the point of rebellion, and there were two opinions in government on how to preserve the peace. One faction sought negotiation with the Irish rebels, while the other – including Russell – favoured military force. Russell's faction prevailed, and the rebellion grew into a general revolt, which lasted through the
Nine Years War and ended with the
Treaty of Mellifont
The Treaty of Mellifont (), also known as the Articles of Mellifont, was signed in 1603, ending the Nine Years' War (Ireland), Nine Years' War which took place in Ireland from 1593 to 1603.
End of war
Following the English victory in the Battl ...
in 1603. In August 1594 Russell relieved the garrison of the northern town of
Enniskillen
Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...
, which had been
under siege for several months, but failed to capture the Irish leaders.
During his time in Ireland, Russell fell into dispute with his chief military commander, Sir
John Norris. The dispute proved harmful to the crown government, and Russell was recalled to England in 1597, but only after he had captured and killed the rebel
Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne.
In 1599, Russell was named as leader of the forces defending western England in anticipation of a
Spanish invasion. However, the invasion plans were thwarted.
Russell built the mansion of
Woburn. In the 1590s, he consulted with three Dutchmen as to the potential for draining his manor of
Thorney Abbey in Cambridgeshire; his son,
Francis Russell, continued the family interest in drainage and led the undertakers in the first attempt to drain the Great Level of the Fens, later known as the
Bedford Level.
Russell was created
Baron Russell of Thornhaugh in 1603, but he lost influence at court and retired to his estates, where he died on 9 August 1613. His tomb is in St Andrew's Church,
Thornhaugh.
Russell married on 13 February 1585 at
Watford, Elizabeth Long, only daughter and sole heiress of
Henry Long of
Shingay,
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...
, and granddaughter of
Sir Richard Long. They had one son,
Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford. The church registers of
St Mary's Church, Watford record that the child was baptised in 1587.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell of Thornhaugh, William Russell, 1st Baron
16th-century births
1613 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
16th-century English soldiers
17th-century English soldiers
People of Elizabethan Ireland
William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
Younger sons of earls
17th-century English nobility
16th-century English nobility
People of the Nine Years' War (Ireland)
Lords Lieutenant of Ireland
Members of the Middle Temple